New Jack Swing (60 mins. of music) #blackhistorymonth

Where Black music, style and dance took a stranglehold on the charts and in popular culture.

“I could really care less about what they think about me, but at the same time, I do have something to prove."– Bobby Brown

A sub-genre of R&B that took a stranglehold on the charts for approximately a decade, New Jack Swing was developed out of the New York City underground Black Club Scene in the mid-1980’s, much like Rap and Disco before it. It was primarily a producer-driven format, spearheaded by Teddy Riley and the production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. As Rap proved to still be several years away from mainstream acceptance, New Jack Swing, which encompassed not just music, but dance and clothing styles as well, became the defacto programming of choice on Black stations, eventually seeping into the Pop mainstream in a very big way by early 1989.

New Jack Swing, as a music form, emphasized tight rhythms, repetitive beats, a heavy emphasis on the bass and an upfront and unapologetic attitude toward sex, including being open about the rising number of HIV-related new cases in the Black community. This was nowhere more evident than with female groups like TLC and Salt-N-Pepa, the former who wore condoms on their clothing, both recorded pro-safe-sex public service announcements and album tracks addressing the issue with the latter.

Even artists that normally would never have figured into this new type of underground music style could not help but record songs in it. Patti LaBelle, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston are just three of numerous “old school” acts that took heed of the new format. It is also significant to note that this was the last major music genre to be represented on Soul Train while founder Don Cornelius was host, passing the torch to programs like In Living Color, that seemed steeped in the Black youth culture, look and attitude of the day.

Our tracks this week:Title, Group, LP Source

First Part1. Feels Good, Tony! Toni! Toné!, The Revival2. I Want Her, Keith Sweat, Make It Last Forever3. What About Your Friends, TLC,Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip4. Groove Me, Guy, Guy

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